Softball | 4/1/2016 6:53:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 TURLOCK (April 1, 2016) — CSUSB opened play Friday in the Tournament of Champions with a 5-3 loss to Central Washington, and came back with a decisive 5-0 victory over Northwest Nazarene.
 
CSUSB takes its 19-20 overall mark into Saturday when the Coyotes face Concordia (Ore.) and Saint Martin's. They will wrap tourney play Sunday against Western Oregon and Dominican.
 
Central Washington 5, Coyotes 3
Amanda Herrera had a pair of hits, and freshman Morgan Ratliff connected on a two-run home run, but the Wildcats (22-8) took command of the game with a four-run, five-hit fourth inning for the victory.
 
Trailing 1-0, Herrera led off the fourth inning with on a triple to right field. DP Caitlyn Olan followed with a sacrifice fly and the game was tied at 1-1.
 
But CWU got control in the bottom half of the inning that was capped by Celine Fowler's two-run single.
 
Ratliff cut the deficit to 5-3 when she lifted her third homer of the season in the fifth on a shot to right center that also brought in Monica Maddox.
 
CSUSB totaled six hits against CWU's Kiana Wood and Brielle Copodonna.
 
Freshman RHP Amanda Ramirez (3-5) started for the Coyotes. She went 3 2/3 innings and got the loss with five hits, four runs (three earned).
 
CSUSB was 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position. It had the bases loaded with one out in the sixth, but could not cash in.
 
Coyotes 5, Northwest Nazarene 0
Junior LHP Cassandra Williams struck out a season-high 11 and allowed only two hits in the shutout victory over the Crusaders. She also made a difference at the plate with three hits.

Senior Arianna Hernandez supplied the offensive punch early, coming through with three RBI -- one on a single in the first that scored Williams, the second on an infield ground-out in the second and the third when she was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

CSUSB then added two runs in the sixth for the final margin. Ashley Leffingwell singled to right that scored Ratliff, and one batter later, Herrera lined out to center for a sac fly that scored Leffingwell.

Williams allowed only one base runner through the first five innings. Then she dodged a bit of trouble in the sixth with the help of a strikeout, throw out double play to end the inning.

She improved to 13-12 on the mound.